Thank you for saving my life
Heart attack survivor meets paramedics who treated him
A gym user who suffered a cardiac arrest while pounding a treadmill has been reunited with the paramedics he credits for saving his life.
When Chris Hughes took ill at PureGym in Paisley staff sprang into action.
Two quick-thinking gym employees shocked Chris using a defibrillator and an off-duty GP provided emergency first aid.
Meanwhile, an ambulance was called as the fight began to save Chris’ life.
Paramedics rushed to the scene and Chris says it is thanks to their hard work that he survived.
Now the Barrhead dad, who is lucky to be alive after the terrifying incident, has been reunited with the team that fought to save him.
The 54-year-old was able to meet the crew members at Paisley Ambulance Station on Sunday and thank them for saving his life.
Chris said: “I went to the gym and I did my workout. I normally do my workout and then go straight to the car.
“Instead, I went to have a warm down, as I had trained quite intensely.
“I collapsed while I was on the treadmill. There was a female doctor who came out of the changing room.”
“The next thing I remember is waking up in the ambulance – its sirens were going. I could feel how fast it was going. I was told I had collapsed at the gym and was being taken to hospital.
“I said my brother is going to give me a lot of stick for this.”
Chris’ twin brother, Paul, is a paramedic, based at Paisley. He received a call from the hospital about what had happened.
Chris added: “I was very, very lucky that day. If it had not have been for the paramedics, I might not have survived . It’s quite overwhelming to think about.
“What gets me is that normally I would not do a warm down. I would normally go straight to my car. God forbid if it had happened while I was driving my car.
“That five-minute warm down saved my life. It’s hard to comprehend how close I was. I cannot believe it.”
The incident, which happened on March 17, 2016, was deemed to be a one-off.
Chris said: “I am so shocked it happened to me. I did promise myself while in hospital that I would change my life.”
The financial worker was delighted to be reunited with the ambulance crew who helped save his life, saying his ambition now in life is to return the favour to someone else.
“Six months ago, I went to do a CPR training course. Because of what happened to me, for the rest of my life I want to try and pay back the people who helped me. I want to save someone’s life because of what happened to me,” he said.
“CPR should be taught in schools – everyone should learn how to do CPR. You never know when it could come to your own door, it could be your own family member. Even now, I still struggle to come to terms with what happened to me.”
He added: “I cannot thank them enough. I’m really glad that I had the opportunity to meet these guys.
“I’m so glad that I met them. It was a rollercoaster of emotions all day but I am really glad that we have met.”